PMDC’s Admission Test Policies to Be Reviewed

ISLAMABAD: The official regulators of PMDC, supervising the medical education are working on introducing new and improved regulations regarding student’s admissions test policies.

The admission regulations set by PMDC in 2016 had been struck down by the Supreme Court, alongside disbanding the council to constitute an ad hoc council to run affairs of the regulator of medical education, chaired by Justice (retd.) Mian Shakirullah Jan. A number of private medical and dental colleges challenged PMDC’s set up, claiming that it was illegal and is functioning unlawfully because it was created under the PMDC (Amendment) Ordinance 2015 and that the law has already been lapsed.

PMDC officials claim that, in past 5 years, four councils have been created, as private schools disagree with test based admission system for medical universities. They also pointed out that, a new policy on admissions, house jobs and internship regulations were introduced and another policy for 2018 was in the works for further regulation, that proposes a central admission policy, whereby private colleges are suggested to grant greater weight to the scores obtained in pre-medical education and minimize the role of entry tests.

These new regulations will decrease the role of private academies charging a huge sum of money for entrance test preparation. Furthermore, the fee structure of the medical institutions will be inspected by the Supreme Court in, according to which the tuition fee for a medical student has been capped at Rs850, 000 per year.